Let's Have a Kid
by Kristen3
Summary: An afternoon alone with seven-year-old Riley leads Cory to think maybe it's time he and Topanga had another child. Sort of a prequel fic. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **I was thinking about the "Let's have a kid, let's have another kid" line from the pilot, and I got to thinking there might be a story in Cory convincing Topanga to have another baby. That got some wheels turning, and this resulted. :)

Cory loved these quiet afternoons with Riley. Topanga was out running errands, which meant it was just the two of them. "Now, as far as your mother is concerned, this never happened," Cory said as he placed a bowl of ice cream in front of her.

Riley grinned, showing off the spot where she'd lost a tooth last week. Cory's heart melted at the sight. Looking at his daughter, Cory finally began to understand how his parents must've felt while he was growing up. This kind of love was new to him. Even though Riley was seven already, to him, she was his little girl. He hated the thought that in a few years, she'd be discovering boys. Right now, she thought they were gross, and that was just fine with Cory.

"Thanks, Dad." Riley began to eat her ice cream immediately. Though she loved her mother, she was secretly glad for the times when she was left in the care of her dad. Topanga was fanatical about health food, but Cory would sneak his daughter junk food whenever his wife wasn't looking. As she continued to enjoy her rare treat, Riley began to think about something. It was something that had been on her mind a lot lately, and she wondered if now was the time to bring it up. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

Cory felt uneasy as Riley looked at him nervously. Was this the moment? Had she changed her mind about boys? Cory hoped not, because he wasn't sure he was ready for that. But he swallowed hard. He remembered having a few difficult conversations with his parents growing up, and they had always faced whatever questions he had. "Sure, sweetheart, you can ask me anything."

"Well, a lot of kids in my class have brothers and sisters. How come I don't?"

There was no ignoring the wave of relief Cory felt when he heard his daughter's question. Cory remembered all too well what it was like growing up with siblings. Sharing a room with Eric was far from ideal, but he wouldn't trade the memories he had for anything. He and Topanga had talked about kids, and she knew he wanted more. But Cory had only been teaching for a few years. That meant that Topanga was the chief breadwinner, and they were stretching things already. More children would simply have to wait. But seeing Riley's expression broke Cory's heart. He knew he couldn't explain to a seven-year-old about budgets and how difficult it was to feed a family of three. "Do you want a brother or sister?" he asked, wishing his father were here. Surely he would know what to say in a situation like this.

Riley shrugged. "Sort of. Sometimes my friends are busy, and even Maya can't come over all the time. It would be nice to have somebody to play with."

Cory's heart broke even more, hearing that his daughter was lonely. To cover, he smiled as wide as he could. "What, I'm not good enough?"

Riley giggled. "But you're my dad! I want another kid to play with."

Not knowing what else to say, Cory could only sigh. He remembered all too well how his sister Morgan often had to coerce him, and sometimes even Mr. Feeny, into attending her tea parties. He struggled to think of a response.

Fortunately, he was rescued by the sound of the door opening. "I'm back!" Topanga announced. She immediately dropped the grocery bags on the floor.

Cory eyed his wife, then quickly turned and put his and Riley's bowls into the sink before Topanga could see. He turned to Riley. "Why don't you go play in your room for a while?"

"OK, Dad." Riley nodded and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She and her father were experts at hiding certain things from her mother. She turned and left, eager to go back to the book she'd been reading.

Topanga watched the two, wondering what was up. But before she could even ask, Cory was coming toward her. The next thing she knew, he was kissing her. "Well, what was that for?" Topanga asked.

Cory grinned. "I just missed you." He knew Topanga wasn't the only girl he'd ever kissed, but she was the only one who counted. Ever since that day at the lockers, there had never been anyone else for Cory.

"I missed you, too," Topanga replied, kissing him this time. Topanga had always known she would end up doing something amazing with her life. But actually becoming a lawyer was harder than she'd thought. She never would've been able to do something like this on her own. It was Cory's belief in her, along with Mr. Feeny's, which had led her to accept an internship here in New York years ago. They spent the next several minutes kissing. Moments like this never got old.

"You know," Cory said when he finally came up for air. "I just had an interesting conversation with Riley."

"Oh, yeah?" Topanga was always worried about her daughter's development, always consulting books on parenting, to make sure she and Cory were doing the right things.

Cory nodded. "She asked me why she doesn't have a brother or sister." He grinned.

"Cory, you know we can't have more kids!" Topanga exclaimed. "There's no way we could make ends meet with another mouth to feed."

"We seem to be doing all right so far," Cory responded, turning around to the kitchen. "It's not like we're starving."

Topanga sighed. Even Riley hadn't been a part of the plan, but she and Cory had learned to love parenthood. Having another one would be difficult at best. But then Topanga began to smile. She'd enjoyed the days when Riley was a baby. It was hard not to fall in love with her. And she knew Cory had his heart set on a little boy with his famous curly brown hair. "Well," she said smiling. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

"I love Riley, but I grew up with siblings," Cory said, grinning. "I just want her to have that same experience. And you know Eric would love to be an uncle again."

Topanga couldn't help laughing. When she and Cory found out they were expecting Riley, Eric had gone way overboard buying toys, months in advance. He would likely do it again for their second child. She thought about her life with Cory. They had overcome so many obstacles, proving that a high school romance really could lead to true love. Even when she hadn't wanted to believe it could be possible, it had happened. She'd never been one to believe in fairytales, but somehow she found herself living one. Maybe she and Cory could make a miracle happen again. There was no way to find out, other than trying. And Topanga was definitely willing to do that.

**The End**


End file.
